Zoodles Greek Salad

Okay, folks.  This is very exciting.  I have tried and fallen in love with zoodles.  Yes, zoodles.  In case you haven't been following the latest vegetable craze, zoodles are zucchini "noodles" made with something called a spiralizer.  You know me: it can't be surprising to hear that I registered for a spiralizer because I was dying to turn zucchini into noodles.  It's also not surprising that no one got it for me!  So don't worry: I returned 4 of my 5 coffee makers and got plenty of great stuff in return.  One thing I had to get: my $20 vegetable spiralizer.  It sort of looks like a male torture device, or two funnels put together with sharp blades inside.  If you put the zucchini in one end and twist, it makes spaghetti-like strips.  The other end makes fettucini-like strips.  I've only experienced with zucchini, but apparently lots of other vegetables can be spiralized too (I can see carrots being awesome!).  Once you get the zoodles, you can briefly cook them and eat them in place of pasta, or you can eat them raw, like we did in this salad.

I love Greek salad anyway - the feta, the lemon, the fresh oregano, the tomatoes, not to mention those beloved little kalamata olives.  But then serve it over zoodles, and you've really gotten me excited.  There's nothing not to like.  You feel like you're eating a cold pasta dish with Mediterranean flavors!  The zoodles really do make you think you are eating a slightly crunchy pasta, and the salad dressing is so bright and delicious .   And can we talk about how easy this is to make?  3 steps.  Maybe 10 minutes.  That's it.

I was pretty pumped when I tried this, and couldn't wait to make it for Maggie because she is gluten-free.  She loved it so much that a week or so later, she brought me zucchinis and lemons and begged me to make it for her again!  So my (many) gluten-free friends out there: try out some zoodles!  Or just come over and I'll try them out for you.  I definitely want to try a hot dish with zoodles; my mom says she saw people cook them on the Today show and no one could tell that it wasn't actually pasta.  Have you tried zoodles?  What's your favorite way to eat them?

Recipe:

zoodles Greek salad
from Cupcakes and Kale Chips
serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:
juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
kosher salt and pepper
2 medium zucchini, peeled if desired
1 cup grape of cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
2 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Instructions:

1) In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

2) Using a vegetable spiral cutter, cut the zucchini into zucchini noodles.

3) In a large bowl, gently toss together the zucchini noodles, tomatoes, olives, feta, and dressing until combined and evenly coated.